American College of Rheumatology: Telehealth Conversion: A Strategy for Optimizing Ambulatory Access  Converting late cancellations and no-show appointments to telemedicine visits increases access to care without the need for rescheduling. Investigators identified adult rheumatology patients with late cancellations (within 24 hours of appointment) or impending no-show appointments from September 2020 to March 2023. Of 624 eligible visits, 516 (83 percent) were converted to telehealth visits. Phone visits were slightly more popular than video visits (54 percent vs 46 percent, respectively). Patients who were older, who lived in a rural area, or who were on Medicare and Medicaid were more likely to opt [...]

Cadence: Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) Significantly Improves Health Outcomes and Reduces Total Cost of Care in Hypertension Patients  In a study of over 4,000 hypertension patients, Cadence’s remote patient monitoring solution shows reduced total cost of care and positive clinical outcomes. Researchers analyzed hypertension patients who used the remote monitoring platform from health tech company Cadence from February 2022 to April 2023. They had a reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and also had lower costs than those who got orders but didn't enroll in the program.

Annals of Internal Medicine: Effects of Remote Patient Monitoring Use on Care Outcomes Among Medicare Patients With Hypertension Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is a promising tool for improving chronic disease management. A study in the Annals of Internal Medicine showed that patients with high blood pressure who frequently tested themselves at home filled their prescriptions more regularly and needed fewer hospitalizations and emergency department visits for their hypertension.

American Heart Association: Health Disparities Among the Many Unique Challenges for People in Rural America  According to data reported in the Call to Action: Rural Health: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association, people living in rural parts of the U.S. are 40% more likely to develop heart disease and have a 30% higher risk of stroke than people who live in urban areas. Unique health challenges related to individual risk factors, social determinants of health and lack of access to health care drive these disparities. Telehealth and digitally enabled health care is leveraged for [...]

JAMA Internal Medicine: Changes in Physician Electronic Health Record Use With the Expansion of Telemedicine Telehealth use during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with an increase in the time physicians spent working in the EHR, though this work was largely related to documenting visits rather than messaging patients. Physicians who provided care both through telehealth and in person in a week had 0.43 additional hours of EHR time per eight patient scheduled hours and 0.38 additional hours outside of scheduled hours compared with those providing care entirely in person. Health systems should consider the burden of EHR time for physicians who deliver [...]